Abandoned Tot's Mother Sought

Police were searching the Tenderloin yesterday for the young mother of a baby boy found abandoned in the Fisherman's Wharf area.

The toddler, who appeared to be a year to 18 months old, was spotted in a doorway in the 300 block of Bay Street shortly after 9 p.m. on Monday.

Dressed in a soiled white sweatshirt, white pants, and red and blue shoes, he was recognized by a 14-year-old girl who lived nearby, according to police Inspector Joe Carroll of the juvenile division.

The boy appeared to be abandoned, although police said a young couple, who were seen not far from the child, may have been left in charge of the baby by his mother. The couple and the child's mother were not identified.

After seeing the baby, the girl phoned her own mother, who took the baby home and called police.

The girl and her mother "did the right thing, no question about it," said Carroll.

According to Carroll, the girl said the young couple near the baby were "panhandlers who hung around the area and did drugs."

The baby, who was in otherwise good condition, was given clean clothes and placed in foster care.

Carroll said the baby's mother is frequently seen in the Tenderloin area.